


Count on Me

by ThePoetess



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Best Friends, Drunken Confessions, F/M, First Crush, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, First Meetings, First Time, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Karate Kid to Cobra Kai, Lost Time, Love, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, Love/Hate, M/M, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 00:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30097635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePoetess/pseuds/ThePoetess
Summary: | A Tommy Cole Story |"You can count on me, when you can not seeLet me spell it out plain and simple nowWhen your numbers called backs against the wallPick you up when you fall be there when you call"- Count on Me - Mat Kearney
Relationships: Ali Mills/Tommy (Karate Kid), Bobby Brown/Jimmy (Karate Kid), Daniel LaRusso/Ali Mills, Johnny Lawrence/Ali Mills
Kudos: 2





	1. Something I Never Told You

Tommy: Hey, Ali, it's Tommy from back in the day... we had Homeroom together and lunchroom, since we usually had lunch together... you still eat that disgusting seaweed stuff? 🤢😏😂 I don't know if you'll remember me, but I just saw your Facebook page, guess Johnny sent a friend request, so it asked me if I knew you, anyway... hope you're doing well. Tommy. 

Ali: It was Sushi and you know it 😂 and hi, Yes, of course I remember you, I hope you're well too, and wow 😳 it's been years, how are you? 

Tommy: 😁 Not bad actually, not too bad. God, it has been forever, it's nice talking to you again...

Ali: Yeah, it's nice to have this blast to the past, right? 😃 You still living in Reseda? 

Tommy: Nahhh, moved location since I was a teenager... 

Ali: Alright Mr. Mysterious, where is this? A fancy posh residence somewhere in the hills? 😂

Tommy: In a hospital. Yeah, times have really changed. Look Ali, there's something I never told you...


	2. Her Six Shooter Came Out Blazing

It ended with Seven Up and Coke on the pavement. It had started with some words, a jealous strike of a fist, then the blonde throwing her drink right in her boyfriend's angry face, words she'd later regret, spewing from her mouth... three words and it was over.

"I hate you."

The innocent onlooker nibbled nervously at the corner of his lip as he stared at his best friend "Ummm, maybe you shoulda said something, man, Johnny, what? Johnny aren't you going after her!? Johnny it isn't over for you, just go and tell her you're sorry, Johnny," with a last sigh, Tommy Cole escorted his best friend from the scene, a birthday party for Johnny's girlfriend, Ali Mills, a party which Johnny, in his idiocy, had forgotten about, instead, opting to go drinking with his friends.

His mouth still tasting of dish soap, a long story behind that, and one he didn't want to think of right now, right now when he was half dragging his friend away towards Johnny's car, he walked away and sent his crush, secret crush, Ali Mills, the same Ali Mills that was Johnny's girlfriend, an apologetic grimace 

Oh yeah, tonight had been GREAT... and then his best pal just had to ruin it with his smart mouth.

Now Ali was angry and sad and Tommy wanted to punch his best friend. He didn't though, just clapped him on the back gently...

"Good job Casanova... really smooth." 

"Shut up Tommy." 

“Idiot...”


	3. The Dancing Queen

The next day, Tommy was back at Ali's house, this time without a combative and jealous Johnny, and with his school books as Ali and him had partnered up in the same home room. 

He let himself in as Ali had told him to do, suddenly being blasted by loud music as he stepped over the threshold into the hallway... he laid his school books down and walked upstairs "Uhhh, hey Ali? Ali? I —," the moment he saw her dancing, was the moment he fell more in love with her, although, half his mind was having a 'what the fuck is happening?' moment. He cleared his throat to announce himself, which frightened Ali out of her dancing and she screamed and pointed her hairbrush at him before she realized that it was Tommy and that they'd made plans for that day. She switched off the music and blushed "I - I forgot, I'm sorry Tommy, I forgot we were gonna meet up today, I've just been cleaning up after," Tommy grimaced "After the party?" "Yeah," Ali looked away, lost in thought about Johnny and how he'd acted that night. 

Tommy studied his hands before he looked up "You like ice cream?" Ali looked concerned and a little confused "What?" "You like ice cream?" Ali chuckled softly before it turned into a soft giggle "Yeah, who doesn't?" "Creeps and weirdos, there's a special place in hell for them, right there with perverts... and people who talk in movie theatres," Tommy joked and felt pride when Ali started laughing "Come on, let's ditch the work for now, and ride to the pier, I'll buy you a cone," 

And that's how Tommy had almost gone on the closest thing to a date, he'd ever have, with Ali Mills. 

She got ready and met Tommy downstairs. 

"Smooth moves though, Ali-gator, I mean it, what was that last one? Very jazzy," he made overexcited jazzy hands at her which made her laugh, though she tried not to and rolled her eyes "Oh shut up," Tommy chuckled softly "No, I'm serious, those were really great moves,"


	4. Roadblocks

"I swear, I won't let you go," "You swear?" "Every damn day," Ali laughed before looking towards the Ferris Wheel before she nodded and smiled at Tommy "Thanks Tommy, you're the best," she stated before they got in line at the Ferris Wheel. 

"Alright, just — just don't look down," Tommy gulped and Ali watched him, scrutinising his pale face before she smiled playfully "You don't like heights either, do you?" Tommy chuckled nervously "No, not really..." Ali leaned back against him and he gingerly held her close to him, feeling ecstatic that he was so close to her. 

"Why'd you bring me up here then?" Tommy was stuck in his own little world and couldn't answer as he watched her blonde curls float in the strong breeze, catching light from the falling rays of the sun. 

"Enjoying the view there?"

"What?" 

"You're staring and it's starting to weird me out a little," 

Tommy shook himself out of it "A, only a little?" He joked and bowed his head, intent on not looking at her while he heard that laugh that drove him crazy "Yeah... only a little..." Ali took a breath "Listen Tommy, I, this is the most fun I've had in in weeks and — well, I like you a lot," "I like you too..." Tommy could only mutter as he felt himself moving closer, tilting his head to go in and — 

"I just wish it would work out with Johnny..." 

ABORT! ABORT MISSION!!! Those words flashed in Tommy's head and he froze right in front of her 

"You get what I'm saying?" Tommy gave a half nod and cleared his throat "Y—Yeah, I mean yes, yes I I understand," he deadpanned, disappointment stabbing at his insides as he felt semi sick to his stomach, because this was the death knoll, that sign that told him all he didn't want to know... 

Ali Mills would never think of him as boyfriend material, never be able to see the annoying way his heart always leapt at sight of her, how he would die just to see her smile... because Ali Mills only saw him as her friend... 

he sighed deeply, contenting himself with that... 

maybe even having that, only a little bit of Ali, was better than nothing at all.


	5. Nobody’s Gonna Love You Like I Do

Ali: A, sorry, but you didn't just say you are living in a hospital? Tommy are you doing okay? What's wrong? Which hospital? 

Tommy: Oh Ali, it doesn't matter now... I'm fine. 

He didn't hear back from Ali for a while and was starting to think the worst, when she walked into his hospital room a week and a half later with a clipboard and his daily meds, hiding behind the clipboard so Tommy, who had just woken up, could not see her face. 

"Alright, Mr. Cole." 

Tommy gave the woman a playful smile "I haven't seen you before, are you new here?" Tommy asked and chuckled "Did the clipboard get stuck to your face?" 

"Says here you've got stage four cancer?" The clipboard came away and there she stood, the gal who he had loved in his youth, he just stared in shock. 

"Hey Tommy... it's been a long time, been too long." 

He looked shocked to see her yet a sad smile broke over his face “Hey Ali,” 


	6. Counting the Minutes Till I See Your Face

The phone rang... 

Ali's father sat where he was in the large armchair while her mother was too busy with something in the kitchen to even bother... her little brother was distracted by the television blaring in front of him, and Susan and Barbara were uninterested, so Ali got the phone instead "Mills' residence, speaking?" Her discomfort showed when she heard Johnny's voice on the other end 

"Johnny, no, I don't want to talk Johnny, not about this, there's nothing to talk about, well no I really don't think there is," the front door opened and Tommy walked in, carrying a bouquet of flowers, which instantly caught Ali's eye. 

Tommy waved and gave her a sideways grin, the gap just between his two front teeth showing and she felt a little confused as to why she found herself staring at it, thinking that was a cute feature she'd never seen bef— Johnny was talking again. 

"Tonight? Oh," she hardly wanted to speak with him, wanted to set the phone down and let him talk to thin air... so she did and walked over to Tommy. If she hadn't, she would have heard Johnny's half apology to her, but she didn't because she'd walked away from the phone and that relationship. 

She was half hoping those delicate little daisies in Tommy's hand were for her, but she felt a surge of — regret? Sadness? What was this feeling? The feeling she felt when Tommy cleared his throat and asked instead for Barbara without meeting Ali's eyes. 

That statement left Ali with a sick feeling inside, but why?

— All this was an act — an act that hurt Tommy as much as it did Ali, though he did not know that... he did not know that deep down, Ali would have liked to hear all those things, the words he'd written down in letters, he was never meaning to send. 

Ali watched with a reproachful look when Barbara threw the flowers right back in Tommy's face and told him point blank that she would never go out with him, even if he was the last boy on earth... 

it stung Ali as much as it did Tommy. 

Tommy merely shrugged and picked the flowers up before offering them to Ali with a slight playful smirk, the one you grew used to if you knew Tommy for long... the one that annoyed and infuriated Ali, but also made her stomach twist in knots and her smile back, as if she had just been let in on one big joke. 

"Thanks Tommy... daisies are my favourite." The blush crept over her face without her knowing. 

Barbara rolled her eyes "If you don't have anything better to do than just stand there staring, you should get lost," 

Tommy smiled "Boy were your parents making a mistake when they had you," 

And somehow, Ali barely held back a laugh, knowing Tommy meant it in fun and he was just being his sarcastic annoying funny self. 

And for some reason, Ali couldn't really place, she couldn't stop thinking about him.


	7. When Nothing’s All You Have to Give

Ali couldn't sleep that night and decided to bite the bullet and just — go and see Johnny so they could 'talk things over' 

It never was a 'talk' with Johnny, started as a talk, but it soon became just another argument, just another roadblock in their relationship, so if anyone would have asked Ali, how she thought it would go, she never would have said that she'd be standing on the soccer field at an ungodly hour while talking to her ex-boyfriend while her best friend and his best friend played moderators.

She couldn’t also help noticing how the workouts had been sculpting Tommy’s body as she saw him walk past, shirtless and — her heart hit her chest like a car crash as it thumped loudly, bringing her down to earth and Johnny “We aren’t a couple any more Johnny,” she stated, Tommy watching sadly


End file.
